Balochistan Assembly Speaker Qudus Bezinjo resigns
He is a contender for the post of CM
Abdul Qudus Bezinjo, the speaker of the Balochistan Assembly, tendered his resignation Monday, October 25.
He submitted his request to the governor of Balochistan for approval. Bezinjo’s move comes a day after Jam Kamal Alyani, former chief minister of the province, stepped down a day before the provincial assembly was to vote on the no-confidence motion tabled against him.
Consequently, the provincial assembly stands dissolved. Bezinjo is said to be a contender for the post of the chief minister.
Jam Kamal Alyani tweeted Sunday evening that he would “rather leave respectfully and not be part of [his opponent’s] monetary agenda and bad governance formulation.”
“Besides many deliberate political hindrances, I have given my utmost time and energy for the overall governance and development of Balochistan,” he said.
Political crisis in Balochistan
Jam Kamal Alyani faced a rebellion from disgruntled members of his Balochistan Awami Party (BAP). The no-confidence motion against him tabled on October 20 was supported by at least 16 signatures. However, Alyani’s opponents claimed that between 33 and 28 members supported the motion.
Chances for Alyani’s survival seemed promising when at least four MPAs did not show up for the Balochistan Assembly meeting on the day the no-confidence motion was tabled last week. Their fellows staged a sit-in at the gate, claiming that the MPAs had gone ‘missing.’ The MPAs later surfaced in Islamabad and returned to Quetta in a Balochistan government’s plane.
They met with Balochistan Assembly Speaker Abdul Quddus Bezinjo and assured him of their support for the no-confidence motion. Bezinjo is said to have played a major role in the move against Alyani.
Alyani’s resignation, however, does not bring to an end the months of political wrangling in Balochistan. A new battle for the new chief minister is about to start.
